


The Bechloe Games

by MoonwritingFF



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies), The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Angst and Drama, Crossover, F/F, LGBTQ Female Character, Romance, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:13:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22526881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonwritingFF/pseuds/MoonwritingFF
Summary: [ON HOLD]She should be focused on keeping herself alive. Instead, all she could think of was keeping HER alive. The countdown ended and the 70th Annual Games began. Love can be someone's greatest strength, and at the same time, be their only weakness. - Basically a new version of The Hunger Games with Bechloe in it. A crazy idea the fandom came up with.
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell
Kudos: 17





	1. Lottery

She was walking as fast as she could in the opposite direction. Her neighbors and friends ran past her hurting her shoulders. Damn streets were not wide enough for three people to walk side by side in this district. Of course they had the main street but it was on the other side of the district... the rich side. Those people could afford cars and needed wider roads to drive. Poor people walked everywhere so their little streets were enough. Besides it gave space for extra houses. Industrial buildings, houses and smoke were the only thing people knew in the district. There was only a little space with grass but only kids could play there. Her mind traveled back for an instant to when she used to play there, how soft it felt, the nice smell... Her mum used to tell her stories about other districts where the grass was everywhere. She would have loved to live there. At least she had trees in this district. It was something. People had too many lung problems because of the polluted air so the government had to plant some trees. The big kind of trees. She used to climb up the tallest trees and make spider webs in them with strings and cloth that was left from her work. There she would spend hours, dreaming of greener places, animals and freedom. Don't get it wrong, she loved her district. She loved it so much that she didn't want to leave. That's why she was running in that direction. Towards her big tree.

"Beca?"

She heard someone calling her name. Fuck, she had to keep running.

"Beca!" the voice repeated.

A heavy hand was placed on her shoulder and she stopped her tracks. Her dark blue eyes were wide open. There was fear in them. Fear and disappointment. She had been too close...

Another heavy hand, the pair of the first one, harshly grabbed the cloth she was wearing over her head and tossed it away, revealing the long brown hair over her shoulders. Beca didn't dare lifting her eyes. Seeing the white uniform this person was wearing and hearing his stupid laugh was enough. He was a Peacekeeper.

The man used the hand on Beca's shoulder to make her turn around and walk in the same direction everyone else was walking. She didn't move at first, her eyes looked for her cloth. The man pushed her though and she had to start walking. Everything was happening in slow motion, her brain was finding it hard to assimilate everything that was happening, and fear was winning. A familiar face called her attention in front of her. It was her friend Jesse, walking backwards. He was smiling. Beca wondered why the guy was smiling in this situation. Her eyes followed his and found her special cloth in his hands. She smiled back at him thankfully and tied her precious belonging around her neck. Jesse held Beca's hand and this cleared her head a bit.

She looked around and saw the houses again, the people again. With a deep breath she stepped in the main square and Jesse let go of her hand. It was time to form in lines. Girls on one side, boys on the other. He threw another smile in her direction. It was encouraging and comforting but Beca couldn't manage to smile back this time. Reality hit her one more time.

There weren't many girls left in the district with as much possibilities to be elected as she had this year, for two reasons. First, she was 18 years old, this was the last year in which she could be eligible for the Games and as every year the chances increase, her name was now put in the lot 7 times as a baseline. Second reason was more personal, and it was caused by an accident. The accident in the building where her mum worked, that caused her death less than a year ago. Without her economical income Beca's dad needed to work double but the time of day wasn't enough for him to handle that much work and he was starting to fall sick. That's why Beca decided she would have to work too. Sadly girls and boys in the district weren't allowed to work officially until they were 19. Technically they could... if they bribed the Peacekeepers in charge of the factories. Beca needed to work and for that she needed to bribe someone. For that she needed something to bribe them with... In conclusion, Beca had to voluntarily put her name more times in the lot in order to stay alive. What an irony.

"Welcome. We've come here to district... Which district is it again? Oh yes, District 8! We've come here today to witness the election of this year's tributes for the Annual Games!"

A woman dressed in a yellow dress started talking with a microphone. Beca couldn't help letting out a little chuckle when she saw her standing on the platform they had built for the occasion, in front of the Justice building. The woman was matching her dress with bright pink shoes and a green lioness wig with a big pink ribbon, a bit tilted to the right side of the head. Her eyes had too much black eyeliner and her lipstick was green. Didn't matter how many times Beca would see the people from the Capitol on TV or in person every year, she wouldn't stop being surprised, amused and also a bit disturbed by their looks.

A video was playing in the big screen on the Justice building. Like every year, they explained in a video why the Games were celebrated. 70 years ago there had been a big war in Panem where the districts staged an uprising against the Capitol. Of course the Capitol won and since then the districts are punished every year sending one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 to 18 years old to a competition. In this competition 23 of them die and 1 survives. This is televised and it is compulsory to watch it. Not surprisingly, the kids who were born in the Capitol didn't participate in the games and most probably didn't have any idea of what was real and what wasn't. Beca didn't want to watch the same video again. Instead, she looked around. She saw the younger girls and boys in the rows ahead, how they were nervously shaking and moving their feet. She thought about the cruelty, how could they send these little kids there to die... and kill each other. Beca didn't really know which was worse. Her attention was brought to the weird woman again when the video was over.

"And now, without further delay, let's meet our contestants" She said.

Two Peacekeepers brought a glass box each, full of little papers. A name in every paper. One box for the boys and one for the girls. Beca swallowed hard as the woman put the hand inside the boys' box and drew out a paper.

"Benjamin Applebaum!" She announced out loud with a bright smile on her face.

Benji... Beca followed the boy with her eyes while he walked slowly towards the platform. Everything around was silence. She didn't know him really, she had only seen him around in the district and heard his name. He looked younger than her, maybe he was around 14 or 15 years old.

"And now the girls..."

Beca was startled from her thoughts and brought to reality once again. Her heart was pounding too fast and loud. She thought she was going to faint any minute. Her hands were clutched together over her stomach because if she didn't faint she might as well throw up. Last year, last time. If her name wasn't out now she would finally be free.

"Beca Mitchell!" The woman announced with the same smile she used before.

Beca's eyes grew wider even. She forgot how to breathe and the only thing she could hear now was her heartbeats extremely loud in her head. Her body moved automatically towards the Justice building.


	2. On the way to the Capitol

No volunteers spoke up to save her life. After all Jesse was the only one who probably loved her enough to do that. But well, he was a guy and only another girl would have been able to take her place in the Games. Apparently the big screen above them was showing the contestants from the other districts. She didn't care, this would be the last time in her home, surrounded by her people.

Beca's eyes took the time to see the faces of the boys and girls standing in front of her. They all seemed so proud of her. Proud of what? She couldn't understand how someone could bear so much hope and admiration only by being called to participate in a cruel game. True, if she or Benji won, the district would get all the food and clothes they could get for a whole year. Maybe that was the hope for. Or maybe it was something else? Like hoping for the Games to be completely over after this one.

Beca tried remembering what her thoughts were the year before when she was standing there in front of the tributes when the woman from the Capitol put the hand on her shoulder and guided her inside the building. The doors were shut behind them.

"Phew, finally done" Said the woman with that same forced smile on her face she showed the whole time. "Congratulations Benjamin. Congratulations Beca. You're tributes!" She exclaimed.

_As if that was a good thing,_ Beca thought. She and Benji didn't say a word. The woman was handed a bottle of water and then they kept walking to a smaller room, equally empty except for a couple of chairs. Beca felt shivers down her spine inside there. It was a white room with white chairs and a really high ceiling. One lamp was shining from each wall, not even a small window.

"My name is Aubrey, by the way. Aubrey Posen." The woman from the Capitol said. Her words sounded warm but her attitude was cold, keeping the distance as if the two boys in front of her were some kind of unknown but interesting animal.

A Peacekeeper aimed for her to leave the room and so she did. Beca and Benji were left alone in the creepy room of the Justice Building. Beca took a deep breath and tried moving her arms and legs just to see if she was having the control back. Apparently she was okay and her heartbeat volume was getting lower. She had to admit to herself that was brave and she was maybe stronger than she thought. Looking back at Benji, Beca could see there was a different process going through his head. He was sitting on one chair with his elbows on the knees and the head on his hands facing the floor. She was about to say something to him when the door opened again.

"Benji!" A choir of 3 voices said at once and three little kids ran inside the room to hug the hopeless boy. After them entered a woman and a man, who hugged him too.

Beca fought the tears like she always did. She chose to stand on the farther corner of the room so she wouldn't bother the family saying goodbye. It was a very sad picture. Seconds later though, Jesse's arms hugged her followed by bigger arms that she guessed were her father's. Beca couldn't fight the tears anymore as they whispered in her ears to be strong and brave and come back home. She cried because her friend was about to lose a friend. She cried because her dad was about to lose his only daughter. She cried because she would never get to see feel free on top of the tree again.

* * *

She was sitting on the most comfortable couch ever, surrounded by the most delicious food ever, but she wasn't enjoying any of those. Making sure her piece of cloth was tied well around her waist like a belt, she crossed her arms and waited.

Half an hour had passed since they got in the train on the way to the Capitol. Beca and Benji only had exchanged a few words, mostly introducing themselves and wishing the best to each other. Both looked out of the window saying goodbye to their home in silence and then were instructed to go and sit on the couch in the main area of the train. They could eat all they wanted, Aubrey had said. Benji was apparently really hungry because he grabbed a bunch of sandwiches and cupcakes and started eating, recovering a good mood. A few minutes passed and finally someone stepped in the room in front of them.

"Hello there, you must be Beca and you must be Benjamin" The woman said, pointing at them while saying their names.

"Benji" The boy corrected with a full mouth.

"Right. Well my name is Amy, I bet you remember me because I won the Annual Games a few years ago"

Indeed Beca remembered Fat Amy from the Games five years ago, becoming the fourth tribute in the history of district 8 to win a Game. She was 14 years old when she won, that was admirable. It felt weird to have a coach who was only one year older than her, but at the same time it felt safer. She had always admired Amy and in person she seemed like a nice woman Beca could trust.

"I can see you don't want to be here and that is good. I don't want to be here either but this is better than staying in my luxurious house eating all day. Besides I don't want you two to die so let's get to work." Amy said as she clapped her hands and turned to switch the tv on.

Beca changed position, leaning her body forward with the elbows on her knees. She could imagine what was coming next.

"These are the tributes from the other districts" Amy announced as a video started, showing the Capitol shield and then sequences of when every tribute was called.

As Beca was expecting, the tributes from districts 1 and 2 were very recognizable because they smiled proudly when they were chosen and walked towards the building with applause from the rest of assistants. Of course, they were trained since they were very little for the games. Their districts were the favorites of the Capitol and held the most quantity of victors. The images of the video were not in order and that was on purpose, so the contestants would stay uncertain until they met the other tributes in person. Beca could only guess where the people were from and what they did. She saw a weird girl who was whispering and combing her hair in front of the crowd and assumed the girl was from district 3, because in Beca's opinion everybody is weird there. The two tributes with dark skin must be from district 11 but so far they were the only ones Beca could dare to guess.

There was another girl who called Beca's attention when out of the blue, when she was standing in front of the crowd, she raised her hand and made the sign with the three fingers. Meaning thank you, I admire you, goodbye. Seeing this Beca's eyes grew wide open and Amy saw. Apparently she was studying their reactions to the video.

"Yep, that one was brave and confident. The sign is not a crime... yet. But it was used by the rebels during the war so she should be careful" Amy explained.

Beca knew what it meant, her mum had taught her that sign long ago, she believed it was a pure and honest way of saying good things to the people you appreciated... But her mum had also warned her not to make it in public. She would be watched carefully if she did.

So this part of the video was a bit longer that the other due to the unexpected actions and it gave Beca some time to watch the girl closely. She was tall and had light skin. Her hair was red and fell in perfect locks over her shoulders. Her eyes were the lightest and most stunning blue eyes Beca had ever seen.


	3. Ugly chariots and pretty dresses

The train finally arrived in the Capitol, as Beca could guess looking out of the window from her room. The station was full of people who seemed to be waiting for the train, they were jumping and squealing excitedly. There were women, men and children, and all of them looked... happy? Beca sighed. She was already feeling tired of all this but it was just starting. She sighed again, louder, when Aubrey knocked on her door telling her they needed to hurry up.

Once out of the train, Beca, Benji, Amy and Aubrey walked passed all the people from the Capitol. They were cheering and waving and taking pictures of them, very excited. Benji and Aubrey Smiled and waved back. Beca just walked as fast as she could, keeping her eyes focused on the car in front of them. Once in the car tough, she noticed her mind was less blurry and looked at Benji with different eyes. Maybe he was playing his cards already. Maybe he was waving and being nice to these people because he wanted to survive. Maybe she should do the same.

The car took them to a small blue building with big windows and heavy curtains. The blue door opened without noise and Beca walked in, followed by the others. Nobody was next to the door though.

"Here we say goodbye! Now you are going to meet your stylist who will get you ready for the Tributes Parade" Aubrey said smiling. Then she clapped her hands excited and left. Amy shook her head and followed, winking at Beca and Benji first.

Beca was still watching her mentor get back in the car when someone grabbed her shoulder and dragged her inside a room.

"Hi, pretty! How are you? Oh you are such a nice material to work with!" A young woman said walking around Beca.

The brunette felt exposed and crossed her arms keeping a serious expression.

"You can't talk?" Said the stylist, now stopping her tracks in front of Beca and looking in her eyes. Her funny look made Beca chuckle. Oh how she hated it when someone made her laugh whenever she was trying to be angry.

"Good, that's better. I am Stacie, your stylist. Let's start, sit down here" The woman pointed to a chair and Beca obeyed.

This was all new for Beca and inside she was actually curious. They were all treating her like someone important for once. Looking around while sitting in front of the mirror, she saw the room was full of colorful decorations of all kinds. There were feathers, hats, dresses, scarves, shoes, little boxes and also dolls. Beca thought it was a creepy place and she was somehow relieved that she wasn't left there alone. Her eyes found the stylist again, now in the mirror. The woman was busy examining Beca's hair. She didn't look like a Capitol woman, that was impressive. Stacie wasn't wearing a wig, just her own brown hair, short to the shoulders. They had a hint of color in the front, some strands of hair were dark pink. Her face had a lot of makeup on, but it made her pretty green-ish eyes stand out. Her skin had natural color. Beca sighed in relief, because she had seen some people at the station that painted their skins green or white. It gave her chills. Stacie was wearing a short gray dress and pink heels completed the look. _She is a good stylist,_ Beca thought. And she felt lucky.

Feeling lucky being a tribute for the Annual Games where you were destined to perish wasn't really rational. But Beca felt that way for the fifth time in the last two hours when she saw the final results in the mirror. She couldn't help smiling and touching her face in surprise. Stacie did an amazing job with the makeup, Beca's little imperfections were hidden and her virtues were lighten up. Her dark blue eyes, the brown waves of her hair, her light and soft skin... everything looked perfect. She was wearing a blue one-piece sleeveless suit. The pants made her legs look longer and the comfortable black boots she was wearing were the same kind Beca wore in district 8. In fact the whole outfit looked like what they call a "business woman" in her district. While Beca was admiring herself in the mirror, and actually accepting that it was herself indeed, Stacie added a belt around her waist and blue powder on her eyelids.

"Done. What do you think, pretty girl?" The stylist said. Beca smiled at her and her smile grew wider when she saw the belt Stacie had tied around her waist was actually the piece of cloth she had been carrying from home. Her eyes were now saying "thank you"

The look was complete and powerful, just in time. Someone knocked on the door and Stacie guided Beca outside of the room. In the hall they met Amy, Benji and a man Beca guessed was Benji's stylist. Her fellow tribute was wearing what looked like a "business man" blue suit, but his jacket was made with many different kind of texture to show more about their district. Both smiled at each other, Amy and Stacie did high five, and all of them left the building towards the main square.

The drive had been animated, filled with laughter and chattering coming from Amy, Stacie and Marshall (Benji's stylist). Beca just played a song in her head while looking out the window, absent. After too many minutes the doors of the car finally opened and she was able to breathe fresh air. Looking around her jaw dropped, the place was huge, it looked like an open garage with a very high ceiling. Ahead she saw the long and wide Victors Road that led to the main square where the tributes heard the President's speech every year. Beca saw all this on tv every year of her life, but in person everything was just bigger and more crowded. Her eyes then focused on the chariots waiting for the tributes. There were already some of them getting ready. Beca swallowed hard and walked towards them. All eyes looked at her and Benji, who was walking a step behind. The brunette didn't say anything. She kept playing her song in her head trying to ignore her heart racing, trying to avoid thinking she would have to kill some of those people or they would kill her in the arena. Her eyes examined their faces one by one. Some of them smirked, confident. Some just ignored her and kept doing what they were supposed to do. Some of them examined her too.

"Beca, let me see you" Stacie called her softly with her palm on Beca's shoulder. "Perfect" She confirmed with a proud nod. Beca showed her a shy smile.

Amy approached and hugged both Beca and Benji tightly, earning a disapproving but funny look from Stacie. "Keep your heads high, shorties. Show no fear" The blonde told them, and guided them to their chariot. It wasn't luxurious or original at all, it was basically the typical chariot district 8 had every year, only this year it was more colourful. It looked almost like a joke to Beca. The wheels represented multicoloured balls of yarn, and on the sides of the chariot they had painted two big needles. Their hole was real and the 'string' were the reins for the horse. Beca sighed loudly. Of course they would have this ugly chariot. She hoped that at least there would be uglier ones.

As Beca and Benji belonged to District 8, they had to wait until the first 7 districts started their parade. Beca rolled her eyes at the luxury in the first two districts' chariots and smirked when she saw district's 3 uglier than ugly chariot. Something in the next one called her attention. Red hair. _So that girl I saw on the video belongs to district 4_ , she thought. Beca couldn't help checking the mysterious girl's outfit. She didn't believe there could ever be a better stylist than Stacie, but there WAS. This girl couldn't look any more gorgeous. She was wearing a light silky blue dress that fell down her body following her curves. The details of the dress were made with pearls. Her red hair was tied up in a beautiful braided bun and she was also wearing pearls as a tiara. Beca found herself wishing to see her face. So lost in her thoughts she was, that the girl's name didn't reach her ears.

Then it was finally the turn of district 8. The ride was good, no surprises. The loud voice on the huge speakers announced Beca and Benji and explained some unnecesary stuff from their districts everyone knows. The people around them were cheering and waving. Beca forced a smile and waved back, holding Benji's hand up. Another of her signature loud sighs left her mouth automatically when their chariot stopped at the main square. Beca's eyes looked for the redhead she'd seen before, and there she was. Her dress was even more stunning from the front and her face... Beca's jaw dropped. She thought there was definitely a better stylist than Stacie. The redhead caught her staring so the brunette quickly turned her head to take a long time examining the other tributes. Yes they all were well dressed and beautifully presented. But no one like that one girl. When Beca's eyes went back to the ginger, all the chariots had arrived and the president had already began his speech. She wasn't listening anyway, it was the same speech every year. The light blue eyes from the redhead were looking at her now. Her expression was a puzzle. Beca wanted to hide at first, until she remembered her looks were nice too and she tried to stand taller.

Before she could notice the speech was over and the president went back inside the building again. The tributes stepped down their chariots and some of them started to talk to each other while they waited for instructions on what to do next. There was something about that redhead that made her feel curiosity, Beca needed to talk to her. Once she spotted the girl Beca walked towards her but everybody was moving and walking so the horse next to the ginger got scared. Beca saw the girl getting startled because of the horse's sudden behavior, tripping and falling backwards on the floor. It looked like she had hurt the skin on her hands and she was also blushing. The closest tributes, who saw what had happened were laughing. Beca kneeled next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you ok? Let me help you" Beca said, offering to help the redhead stand up.

"Don't touch me!" The girl replied harshly shaking Beca's hand off her shoulder. Then she stood up effortlessly, glared at the brunette one more time, and walked away.


	4. Pick your battles

The alarm clock startled Chloe the next morning. It took her 10 seconds to remember where she was and what she was supposed to do. A sad sigh passed between her lips while she sat up on the bed. Yes it was a comfortable big bed, but it wasn't hers. Chloe repeated that in her mind constantly. When she was chosen to be a tribute she promised herself that the Capitol wouldn't change her. If she had to die, she would die being true to herself. So yes, she enjoyed the bed, the food, the clothes and the attention, but they were not hers. They were borrowed from someone else, they were fake.

A few minutes later Chloe was having a shower when she heard a knock on her door. Her mentor walked in announcing herself and the fact that she came to deliver the training clothes. Chloe didn't bother answering and waited until the woman left the room to leave the shower. The training clothes were black, tight, and made of a material she hadn't seen before. She was feeling apprehensive at first but surprised at last when she found out the suit was absolutely comfortable and allowed her to move in absolute freedom.

Chloe and her partner from district 4, Rob, walked to the training area. They were received by all kind of looks. Some were curious, some were mocking, some were angry and some were even friendly. The redhead stopped and took her time to give each of those looks back. After what seemed a staring contest between Chloe and the rest of the present tributes, some of them lowered their gaze, some of them even blushed and went back to their training. Silence was reigning. Chloe fought her instincts of approaching the remaining friendly gazes and walked towards an empty space in the room.

"Hey you, clumsy mermaid!"

The voice echoed in the silent room and tension increased. Chloe stopped her tracks once again, clenched her fists and turned her head towards the source of the voice.

"I am so not clumsy, asshole" she answered in a normal volume but an iced tone.

Her words were addressed to one of the tributes in district 6 who was casually standing there holding boxing gloves. He was blonde and taller than her. He was smirking.

"Really? You're the one who tripped yesterday on plain floor and fell..."

Chloe was mentally slapping herself. He was right, how could she fell like that, in front of everyone? She was supposed to be seen as a strong woman, to be feared. This game was about surviving, who would take her seriously after this episode? She was hating on herself for that mistake. _Think, Chloe. You can fix this. But it's now or never._

Looking around she found that the aiming area was empty and close to her. So were the spears and knives. Chloe smirked and took a step closer, conscious of all the eyes looking at her. Expectation was in the air, as well as tension. She chose a spear and checked the blade. In one fast move in the blink of an eye, the spear was firmly nailed in the centre of the objective. Immediate whispers and scared faces filled the training room and Chloe kept her smirk.

"Pick your battles" She said simply. The guy from district 6 swallowed hard and walked farther away to continue his training.

A few more minutes passed and the door of the room opened once again to allow the rest of the tributes in. Beca's eyes locked with Chloe's for an instant and then the brunette looked away. She was still angry, why would that girl treat her like that while she was trying to help? Without a word she walked to the plants section. Beca considered there was a high possibility in the Annual Games to die from eating something you shouldn't eat, or because of an infection that could be easily cured with plants around you. Well she was hoping there would be plants. In the last games they had chosen a deserted place with ruins and nothing else. They were the shortest games ever. Beca was hoping this year at least they would let her live a bit longer.

"So what's with the clown carriage?"

Beca could overhear the conversation going on in the next training station where Benji was, with a tribute from district 7.

"Yeah it was so ugly but people here like those colors and stuff" Benji said.

"Ah that's smart! But for us, I don't think it was a good idea. I heard District 2 calling you clowns. And honestly it didn't help when your friend tried to help the clumsy girl..."

Beca's ears made a stronger effort to follow the conversation, feeling the heat in her face.

"She's not my friend" Benji said. It was the only thing Benji said.

Beca couldn't believe what she heard, she was furious and disappointed and... lonely. She didn't consider Benji her friend really, because they didn't know anything yet about each other or anything. They just happened to be chosen from the same district to represent it in the games. But she thought he would at least defend her, say something else. Of course he wanted to survive and he would have to do it alone... _Is it weak to try and help someone who fell? We are supposed to kill each other but we're not in the game yet._ Beca's thoughts were incoherent with what she was seeing now around her. Tributes from most districts were talking to tributes from other districts. They were already in the game. They were making allies. And there she was, sitting alone letting them think she was weak and a clown "too human" to survive. It also clicked in her head that she didn't have a weapon. She didn't really know how to use a weapon. Well there was a plan but Beca was starting to think she needed a plan B.

Quietly the brunette stood up and walked around the room trying to find her place, something she could be good at. If not something to attack, maybe something to defend herself. Beca's eyes found Chloe again, she was sitting in the "survival" area using a small knife to try and cut a net in one move. Judging by her frustrated face and more desperate moves every time, she wasn't succeeding. And she was also alone. Beca made a decision, she had to start somewhere. _Let's start with a knife._


	5. Figuring things out

Chloe couldn't hide her amazement. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened when she saw what Beca did with the knife. Or better what Beca did to the net. Everything happened fast, at first Chloe was alone in the "Survival" Training area, trying to follow instructions from a little book to cut a net in one move. That called Chloe's attention because as a person born in district 4, she was used to fishing nets. She used them, but she never made one. She never broke one either. Chloe has always been more of an action girl. Aiming, swimming, cooking... if she had to stop for a while to make a weapon she would always make a spear or arrows, not a net. Well right then in the training room she was wishing she knew at least the basics about how a net is made. And while she was trying to find it out Beca walked in, grabbed a knife and cut the net in one move.

"I thought nets were your thing" Beca said with a smile. Based on Chloe's face she knew her comment wasn't welcome and her smile faded.

"Yes in my district we fish, among other things. We don't learn all of them." Chloe answered, her voice cold and harsh.

Beca sighed. If she wanted to do things right, she needed to control her words and start again.

"I'm sorry" The brunette said reaching for the book with instructions on the table and closing it. Then she sat next to Chloe, careful not to touch her but close enough to make the redhead uncomfortable.

"What are you doing?" Chloe snapped.

"I will teach you" Beca answered simply. She grabbed another net and held it in front of them. "Do you see the shape it has? If you stretch it, see what happens here" Beca accompanied her words with the demonstration.

Chloe had her bright blue eyes fixed in the net, concentrated. She nodded when seeing what Beca meant. Her mind was spinning fast, wondering why her enemy was teaching her how to survive, if Beca was a good person or just an idiot... and suddenly she saw the knife in front of her face.

"Here, grab it" Beca said. "Make a quick firm cut here" She pointed a knot in the net and held it tightly. Chloe did as she was told, and a big bright smile formed on her face when she saw the net disintegrate. Her eyes met Beca's.

"You got it" The brunette said, giving the smile back. "Now, if you do it like this-" She was about to continue the explanation when someone else entered the station. It was the tributes from district 2 and 11.

The two girls sat there in silence, their smiles gone, while the other tributes walked in whispering and smirking. Once they got themselves busy with other survival tools and instruction books, Beca grabbed the broken nets and quickly fixed them, in front of Chloe's amazed eyes. When the brunette finished, it was visible that the nets had been cut before, but you couldn't see how. She left the knife and nets on the table and walked outside.

Quick footsteps followed Beca and soon Chloe was walking beside her.

"Hey um... Thank you for that" The redhead said. Beca just nodded without making eye contact. She kept walking but didn't really know where she was doing.

"And I'm sorry about yesterday" Chloe added, stopping her tracks. Beca stopped for a moment and then kept walking. She didn't have time for this. What was she thinking when she considered teaching the redhead how to survive a net was a good idea? _I just wanted to show her I am not weak..._ Really? That wasn't even true. It was time to worry about herself. She needed to find a weapon and she needed it now. She would worry later about the allies.

* * *

The next day Chloe walked in the Training Area, she spotted Beca at the Aiming station, looking at the spears and knives. After a few seconds of consideration she decided to walk there. In silence the redhead grabbed a knife and threw it to the wall, failing the objective.

"You should try it, yesterday you were good with the knife" Chloe told Beca with a smile.

The brunette grabbed a knife and tried, but the knife hit the wall with the wrong end. Beca sighed.

"Ok..." Chloe looked around. "Have you ever used a bow? I have a feeling it would be perfect for you" She said. Without waiting for an answer from Beca Chloe walked towards the bow with arrows and brought it to her. "Let me teach you"

Beca couldn't hide her surprise, she wasn't expecting Chloe to approach her and talk to her, but she was actually teaching her how to use a bow to defend herself in the Annual Games. Either they were both idiots or just crazy, Beca didn't know.

Chloe was right, using a bow was easier for Beca than anything else she had tried. Aiming and applying the right amount of strength was not easy at all, but it was a good start and she had two days to learn the basics.

Standing behind Beca, Chloe helped her find the right position for her arms and head. Being so close to another person like that felt really good and she almost forgot where she was and what she was supposed to do in the Games. She had to kill Chloe if she wanted to survive...

The redhead was thinking the same thing at the very same moment, though her senses were invaded by Beca's perfume and that made everything a bit blurry. Chloe held her breath, angry with herself. _Chloe you're stupid. The last time you started to act like this you fell in love and you know what happened. Don't do it again, not here and now._ And even if she tried she couldn't ignore the whisper in her head saying: _But you will die anyway..._

* * *

Last day of training the tributes from district 1 challenged all the others in the Fighting station. Beca was cursing under her breath because she wanted to use that time to practice with the bow. Chloe was standing a few steps away so Beca approached her.

"Hi, how are you?" The brunette asked.

Chloe only answered with a dry "Fine", never making eye contact with Beca. The conversation couldn't go on anyway because the first tribute was about to go in the fighting area. Tributes weren't allowed to fight each other while training, they had to practice individually helped by the virtual areas. This particular area consisted of hitting virtual enemies in specific places and earn points. As it was the last day of training before the skills exams to start the Games, the tributes of district 1 wanted to know who exactly they were fighting. To be honest, all the other tributes wanted to know too, but they were nervous because everyone knew District 1 has the best fighting technique, without weapons.

Beca wasn't really paying attention until it was her turn. She was standing next to Chloe watching her talk animatedly with a girl from district 3. The brunette couldn't help worrying. The previous day everything seemed ok between them, she felt comfortable with Chloe... and now she was lonely again. _What did I do now?_

She didn't have much time to think about it because she was called to fight. Swallowing hard she stepped in the cubicle and pressed the button to start. It was a surprising session, even for herself. Her alert was 100% on and her moves were fast, almost instinctive. She failed at aiming at some specific points where she had to hit, but overall she did pretty well and when she stepped out nobody said anything bad. Benji was less lucky, he failed completely in the task and earned the laughter and rude comments from the rest. Same happened to a couple more tributes. The level was high and everyone's tension was increasing now they knew it.

"Let's be allies" Said the girl from district 3.

Beca's head turned towards the voice in a flash. There was a little group in the corner: the two tributes from district 3, one from district 10, the two from district 11, and a redhead.

"Sure!" Agreed Chloe.


	6. Important numbers

Everything had happened so fast. The day of the Test arrived and Beca didn't have any idea on what to do. This was very important because the sponsors usually take the score into account. If you wanted to survive the Games, you sure needed sponsors to back you up from outside. That's why Amy was going crazy, walking up and down trying to make Beca think, and do it fast.

"Shorty we need an idea. The bow won't impress them enough, you're not even good with it yet" Amy said.

"Well, at least the arrow goes where I want it to go... sort of" The brunette answered. She was feeling a weird mixture of nervousness, excitement, sadness and anger.

Of course her mentor noticed, "And you should make sure they see your confidence. Why are you so down?"

"I am not down" Beca's anger was winning.

"Then what the hell, BM? If you don't spill it now I'll take it from you with a spoon"

Amy's expression and considering that she won the Games once, made Beca believe she was actually telling the truth. She swallowed hard and sat down, well she let herself fall, on the couch.

"Everybody has allies" Beca sighed.

Amy sat next to her, "That's not true, not all of them have allies. Some of those alliances will be over as soon as the Games start, believe me. Also, I didn't have allies either, I played by myself. And look where I am now" Amy finished with a wink. Beca smiled, calmer.

The blonde stood up and seemed to remember something, "I know you thought that girl Chloe could be your friend... but she won't. Nobody will be your friend here. Remember that" Beca could see the pain in her mentor's eyes. For once, she stopped pretending and being funny. She was showing her hidden part. The painful one.

A second later, Amy turned on her heels and walked out of the room saying "Get your ass off that couch and keep thinking about that test. I'll be back in half an hour"

* * *

Chloe Beale was called in the testing room. Shivers crossed her spine but nobody could have noticed. She was keeping herself whole, showing nothing but concentration. Five judges were watching her moves behind a glass. According to plan, Chloe chose a spear that she nailed in the centre of the target without effort. A glance at the judges told her they weren't paying any attention to her. In fact they were busy chatting and eating wheat seemed to be roasted chicken. Chloe clenched her fists trying to keep her anger inside. It never ceased to surprise and upset her how the people in the Capitol could be so shallow-minded. _Don't they at least wonder if we have feelings?_

Shaking her head to regain composure, Chloe looked around and found a Capitol flag next to some ropes. This wasn't in the original plan but it certainly was a good plan B.

"I will tie this flag around my head covering my eyes" She said, loud enough for the judges to stop talking and listen. "I want someone to move the target anywhere around here, change its place"

Chloe finished her request and waited for an answer standing in the middle of the room, spear in hand, eyes covered. No answer came. Instead she could hear footsteps approaching the original location of the target. An involuntary smirk formed on her face. For the next 10 seconds Chloe felt her heartbeat in every muscle, she didn't dare moving an inch, she even forgot to breath. Then she heard the ' _click'_ and let her instincts take control.

The spear left her hand in a flash and the next nanosecond it was nailed in the centre of the target. The judges stood up in surprise with their mouths open but that wasn't the best part. That was when Chloe, keeping her eyes covered, reached for another spear and it ended nailed on the wall, inches away from the assistant who moved the target and was hurrying back to a safe place. When Chloe took off the flag that covered her eyes she saw the poor man, livid and without moving, eyes fixed on the weapon in front of him. Another glance to the judges told her this time she had all their attention.

* * *

Beca Mitchell was called in the testing room. She had a plan... who was she trying to convince? She didn't. Anyone could read in her face that she wasn't feeling confident at all. But Beca honestly didn't care. Her abilities would show what she really is capable of.

The judges must have ran out of topic for a conversation and taking a break from the food, because they were actually paying attention to the brunette. Swallowing hard she selected her items and walked towards the zone designed by Amy. The only thing Beca could think of for the test was that she was good climbing trees, and that's what she told Amy. At least that gave her something to prepare.

Beca was standing in front of a big tall log, and above it there were many ropes intertwined. Thick and thin, she could see them all over the ceiling of the room. She was taking more time than needed there, she knew it. But her mind was spinning so fast, _Should I?_

Suddenly she made a decision and let the things she was holding fall on the floor. She walked towards the weapons to grab a bowie knife. The judges could see Beca was nervous, she was shaking her head and running her hands through the hair, as if she was telling herself she was crazy for not sticking to the plan. That was exactly what was happening, but Beca had a hunch.

Walking back to the big log that was meant to be a tree, Beca wrapped the knife in her cloth, secured it in between her teeth, and climbed. She was certainly good at it, her moves were natural and fast. Once she got to the top Beca took her time to look around. The judges started thinking she might not know what else to do, but they were wrong. A few seconds later Beca was climbing on the ropes, crawling on them towards the judges' cubicle. They started getting a bit nervous. A tribute was coming towards them with a big knife... but Beca didn't pay any attention to them. Her concentration was on the ropes, on the patterns of the net.

Doubting for a second, she finally decided to finish what she started, and stepped on the little protruding edge at the bottom of the glass. The surface had only 4 centimeters and Beca was standing there on her toes. Her palms were sweating, she realized that was a suicidal idea when she remembered there was a 3 meters fall behind her. Not only because of the height itself, but because of the ridiculous it would look if she fell. She didn't look at the judges but they were paralyzed on their chairs. Beca made sure the weight of her body was resting on the glass in front of her before letting go of the rope she was holding. With a sigh that meant: ' _Let it be whatever it has to be'_ Beca unwrapped the knife and cut a knot on a rope to her right.

It took her three moves because it was pretty thick, but immediately after that the whole net of ropes that was hanging from the ceiling fell on the floor.

* * *

Silence reigned in the building, all the tributes and their mentors were in their rooms, watching tv. The grades each tribute got in their test was going to be announced any minute and it was the final glimpse of what they all had, before the Games started in two days.

The mentors made sure to record the announcement for farther use, such as planning a strategy with their tributes or convincing sponsors to help them. Knowing this, the first time they saw it every tribute had only ears and eyes for a certain result and ignored the others. Of course one of those results was their own. Then, maybe their fellow tribute from the same district, and after that probably their major threats.

So Beca and Chloe's minds worked alike while the announcement of the grades following the order of the districts' numbers was on tv:

_9 – 9_

_8 – 9_

_7 – 8_

_Chloe Beale 9 – Rob 7_

_6 – 7_

_8 – 6_

_8 – 8_

_Beca Mitchell 8 – Benji 8_

_6 – 8_

_7 – 7_

_7 – 6_

_8 – 7_


	7. On stage

A long meaningful sigh left Chloe's lips when the tributes from district 3 left the stage. They had just given a great interview and earned clapping together with a few new sponsors and supporters. Chloe knew this was going to be a fierce competition on the outside. All tributes got similar grades in their tests, which means no tribute really stands out from the others. For that reason sponsors will have to take on account other variables to choose their favorites. Some of those variables could be charisma, liability, intelligence, social abilities... but others could be money and extortion. This situation caused that tributes and mentors had to stay up all night planning on a different approach for the interviews, one convincing enough to avoid most of the sponsors' war that was coming.

Chloe attempted another sigh when she was called in the stage but nothing came out. Her mouth was so dry from the nerves that she even wondered if it was possible for her to talk at all. Mentally slapping herself into her senses, she managed a bright smile waving at the auditorium before sitting down on a comfortable chair next to Bumper, the presenter.

"Chloe Beale! What a gorgeous lady, such a pity some of you have to die, honestly" The man said. He thought like he really meant that superficial comment, as if he didn't realize it was superficial at all.

Chloe didn't know what to answer so she just smiled again.

"There it is, beautiful smile, huh?" Bumper said loudly to the crowd, making them clap and whistle in agreement. He calmed the people down raising a hand before continuing, "So Chloe, what would you like to tell us?" He asked.

Chloe cleared her throat and squared her shoulders giving a calm and secure impression. "I would like you to know I am very happy to be here today, Bumper" She said, repeating the same smile she did before, given the previous success. People clapped and had to be stopped by Bumper's hand again, to let Chloe continue. The redhead wanted to throw up because of the lie that had just left her mouth.

"I am ready for tomorrow, I have my possible allies and my new skills. I must add that the skills you saw in the test weren't all of them!" She felt a bit better about this part because it was actually true and she was sure some sponsors out there were already starting to get curious about her.

"Oh interesting! Do you find it easy to get allies? Do you have many friends back home?" Bumper asked, the typical melancholic part of the interview.

Chloe used all her effort to avoid thinking about her family and friends. How much she will miss them and also how much they will miss them when she is gone. Among her friends, she counted Beca too, and this surprised her making her shake her head.

"Is that a no?" Bumper asked noticing the gesture.

The redhead took a moment to drink a sip of water, clearing her mind from painful memories. She managed that smile again.

"I have no family left" Was all Chloe could say before her voice cracked into silence. Cameras were focused on her teary eyes, she thought her efforts to seem a strong person had failed, until Bumper said his last words.

"There you go, this woman, one of the strongest I've ever seen! She can smile in her suffering, she can stand and fight! Between us, ladies and gentlemen, I think she can win these Games!" He stood clapping and the crowd did the same. With that Chloe left the stage, a bright triumphant smile on her face.

Beca had seen Chloe's interview from the backstage, as well as the rest of the tributes. The brunette was in shock, she didn't expect to hear what she heard.

When it was her turn to walk on the stage, her anger was back, worse than it had been the previous days. She didn't realize she was walking towards the seat with her fists clenched. Luckily the cameras or the people didn't realize either. Eyes were fixed in her serious expression, almost like a rock.

"Hello, miss Beca Mitchell" Bumper greeted with his usual grace.

"Hello" Was all Beca replied. Her expression not changing or showing any signs to start a conversation.

"I've heard you are very good with sewing, am I right?" Bumper started a topic, desperate to get her talking before the audience could get bored. People got bored very quickly in the Capitol.

"Yes that's true" She said simply. Then silence.

Bumper tried a different approach, "Everywhere you go, you've been seen wearing that piece of cloth that looks old to be honest... Do you want to share the meaning of it?" He continued. The audience gave signs of excitement, they wanted to know too.

"It is not your business" Beca answered, grabbing her precious cloth that was tied around her waist. She believed that man was capable of taking it from her to give it a better look and entertain those stupid people.

To top the tension, Bumper laughed. And people laughed too. And Beca stood up. Rage ran through her veins and even though her mind told her it was wiser to stay in her place, she couldn't stop herself anymore.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" She said loudly, addressing the whole auditorium. Still a few laughs were audible as she continued, "Do you think it is funny to select a bunch of kids from places you don't even know where they actually are? Then you make them kill each other for your entertainment but previously you humiliate them in front of the nation on tv! Damn it where did your brains go!?" Automatically Beca brought her hands to her mouth. She shouldn't have said those things. Her chances to find a sponsor were gone and also she had no allies. She was doomed.

Bumper said something like "Wow, look at that fierce! She does have a sense of humor!"

Some people from the crowd let go their tension and responded with clapping and laughter. But Beca didn't hear, she was feeling dizzy. She believes she smiled and walked away waving absent mindedly, though she'll never be sure.

Chloe was there watching, there was no way she would miss Beca's interview. And the redhead was paralyzed. Beca made a huge mistake, she couldn't take the pressure. Like this, the chances were she wouldn't get any good sponsors, or no sponsors at all.

* * *

The light hitting their faces made the tributes blink several times. They stood in the Arena and looked around. Beca found Chloe a few meters from her, looking her way. The countdown sounded clearly and echoing. In that moment both girls had the same determination in their hearts: Help the other survive.


	8. The start

Wearing that black suit all the tributes looked the same, but the fire that was Chloe's hair, that was very recognizable. The countdown buzzed in Beca's ears as she made a huge effort to look around, at the other competitors. The pattern was knows from previous Games already. All of them were standing in a circle around the Cornucopia, where the weapons and supplies were. Those who arrived first would get them all. Beca had seen that many times on tv... many tributes tried to reach that place and died in a second.

Chloe was also looking around, pondering her options. She identified Beca because even though her hair was tied up in a ponytail she was wearing that cloth of hers around her left biceps. The redhead bit her lip. She was still looking at Beca thinking about what to do when she heard her name. The countdown was over. One of the tributes from district 11 had already died tragically because of a mine in front of his platform due to his panic making him run before the countdown ends. Everybody was running in all directions, most people towards the supplies. One of her allies from district 3 was standing awkwardly near her, looked like she didn`t was trying to decide if it was best waiting for Chloe or running.

"Shit" Muttered Chloe. She started running towards the Cornucopia along with her allies but they were far from being the first ones. Besides she had lost sight of Beca.

The brunette instinctively held her precious cloth tight with her right hand, keeping it in place. This was the only thing she had left from her mother and if she lost it... Beca would never forgive herself if she lost it. And so she ran. As soon as the countdown ended she saw a tribute literally explode because of a mine a few steps from her. Her years buzzing, Beca just turned around and ran in the opposite direction, towards the trees. And she didn't look back until she was safe under the shelter of their branches. Only then she dared to look at the Cornucopia, and she saw everything was getting calmer there. A group of 3 tributes was opening the bags with supplies already while 2 more were inspecting a few bodies on the ground. This made Beca want to throw up in disgust. Things were starting to sink in her head, that this was real. A glimpse of red hair called her attention from the other side of the forest, to her right. That was Chloe together with some allies, running towards the trees. They were also carrying supplies in bags. The sight made Beca sigh in relief, knowing at least Chloe managed to survive the danger.

* * *

The redhead was already exhausted. The Games had started around four hours ago and it was already getting dark. Chloe and her team managed to escape the Cornucopia in a good shape carrying three bags full of useful supplies. After that they entered the forest and explored further inside, not finding a single source of water. The tribute from district 3 couldn't stop crying after the death of her fellow tribute at the very beginning of the quest, which made everything harder for the team. Giving up for the day they found a good spot to rest and eat. Chloe's head though, couldn't stop repeating Beca's name. She was sitting on the gras, her back against a tree, in silence. Just waiting for the announcement to see if the brunette was still alive. Her chest hurt because of angst.

* * *

Beca felt proud of herself. She secured the piece of cloth around her arm once again and sat on her tree. She had found a river, not too wide but very deep. Some of the plants around it were recognizable from the books she read so she could guess it wasn't salty water. Finding a source of water was the most important thing in the Games. Then she took a safe distance from the water and found a good tree to climb. That would be her hiding place. The branches were high and perfectly populated with leaves. That together with the other trees made it almost impossible to see Beca when she was up there.

Yes she was feeling hungry but well, that would be her first mission in the morning. For now, she was going to stay on the tree, silent, waiting.

And about half an hour later she heard footsteps approaching. Looking down between the leaves Beca saw a lonely tribute. He seemed scared, looking around all the time, uncertain because it was getting dark. _Thirsty_ , Beca thought. And she was right, the boy was looking for the river, already audible from that position in the silence of the forest. Beca was wondering if the extreme silence was part of the plan. She was also wondering if she should have taken the chance to kill that tribute right there... he _was alone and scared, that should have been easy_... Luckily a sudden music made those thoughts go away and the shield of the Capitol was visible in the sky. Then the faces from the dead tributes followed in its place. Six of them were gone already. Beca felt that urge for throwing up once again.

On the other side of the forest, Chloe was holding her breath watching the sky, and she could finally breathe when she saw Beca wasn't count among the dead tributes. She was alive, and that made Chloe feel a spark of hope in her heart. She cared about that woman. And Chloe wondered where Beca would be, if she had found water and food, if she had killed someone... And before she fell asleep, she repeated to herself once again that keeping these allies by her side was the best plan, until less tributes were around. Also before she fell asleep, she tightened the grip on her knife.


	9. Day 2

Alana shook Chloe's shoulders gently and the redhead opened her eyes slowly, forgetting where she was.

"Chloe, wake up. It's time to go." The girl whispered.

Chloe obeyed right away and saw the rest of their allies getting on their feet too. It looked like dawn in the Arena and they had no time to waste, finding water was urgent. The team marched in silence through the forest, the sound of their footsteps getting lost in the thick ground. Truth be told, none of them wanted to get to know each other, they didn't want to get involved any further because they knew eventually they would have to fight for life. Only one could win this.

In spite of that resolution, as human beings they did socialize with gestures and actions. Working together they caught 2 rabbits and a bird. Food wasn't a problem for the moment, but no sign of water yet.

Four hours later, exhausted, they all fell on the ground. Their bodies begged for a rest and much needed hydration. Alana, who had been crying so much the day before after her dead partner, seemed to have a fever.

"This is a nightmare, I can't believe there's no water!" Jeremy said. "Maybe they want us to die faster?" He added, concerned.

They heard a soft _click_ from above that brought up their alert level again. It switched to relief a few seconds later, when they noticed the sound came from a little wooden box hanging from a little parachute. _So they had sponsors after all._

Chloe didn't wait until the box was low enough, but instead she jumped to grab it and pull it down. She had the feeling that she knew what was inside. Opening it quickly in front of her excited allies, she found a note and some kind of tool.

"I saw one of those trees a few steps back!" Exclaimed Jeremy, his hope showing on his face. He grabbed the tool and ran.

Chloe was clueless, but before asking what was going on, she read the note. It was from a mentor she hadn't meet: _Managed to get this from sponsors, even though there IS water in the Arena. Be careful._

That was all. It was kind of disappointing and cold, but Chloe thought maybe those were the rules when it came to sponsor support and mentor communication. As the tributes stood up Jeremy came back carrying a big leaf containing water and everybody cheered up. He had used that tool to extract water from a special type of tree. The first one to drink was Alana, who immediately felt better and dozed off. Then the rest of the team made quick trips to get the water and drank plenty.

"That's the only tree I've seen since we got here though" Jeremy whispered as they gathered around a little fire before it got completely dark.

"I think we have to go to the other side of the Arena, that forest over there" Chloe suggested. After thinking for quite a while she concluded the source of water in the Arena had to be over there. "We have to run through the central area though, where there are no trees to hide..." Again, reality and fear kicked in. The only way to make it was during the night.

* * *

Right after the announcement of the dead (2 tributes lost their lives) Chloe and her 4 allies grabbed their bags with supplies and tools to run towards the other side of the Arena. Forest number two, as they called it.

A fire was visible in the centre of the Arena, the Cornucopia. Tributes from district 1 and 2 had stayed there, surrounded by the supplies the others couldn't reach, and also keeping an excellent view to kill.

Happy with their decision of moving in the dark, Chloe made a gesture to the others to follow her. The tributes in the Cornucopia weren't close enough to hear their footsteps, but they could for sure see them if they weren't careful.

As the team started running though, the first problems started. Alana wasn't fully recovered from her fever, she was still too weak so she fell a couple of times. The nerves started to flourish... the longest they took to cross the clear, the more exposed they were to being killed by other tributes who might hear them or see them. Their possibilities to survive if that happened were just a few, because they were all weaker than the rest due to lack of water.

Things got even worse, when reaching the middle of the way. There the grass started to shine as they set foot on it. Panic stroke and they all started to run faster, but it didn't take long for the tributes in the Cornucopia to realize what was going on. Soon after that a storm of arrows fell over Chloe and her allies. Only three of them reached the shelter of the forest, and they kept running for quite a while. Two loud shots sounded in the apparently calm night, meaning both tributes left behind had just lost their lives.

The 14 remaining tributes in the Arena were chased by sleep that night, and could only rest for a few hours, waking up way too many times in between. The level of alert and fear was maximum because someone out there was moving at night.


End file.
